Splash Pad

Early in the summer, we found a local park that has a splash pad. The kids love it, and it’s an easy way for me to make them happy since it is so close.

On Saturday, Eleanor had an Activity Days activity that involved getting wet, so I took the younger kids for some fun at the splash pad so they wouldn’t feel too left out. It was a hit!

At first, all either of them wanted to do was swing on the swing set. Eventually, I got tired of pushing two kids at once, and I encouraged them to get wet.

Curtis starts out so slow and cautious with the splash pad. He won’t go near the buckets that dump on you, and he takes a lot of time before he’ll even go near the sprayers. After several times that we’ve come and our kids have seen other kids with buckets or cups and been sad not to have them, I finally remembered to let them bring something to catch the water. All of our sand buckets got left behind with the move, so we improvised with sour cream and whip cream containers. 

Phaedra jumps right in whenever it comes to any sort of getting wet.

Curtis followed her example.

He loved to cover up the sprayer and then try to run away.

This one’s a little blurry, but she was bouncing and having so much fun.Eleanor and Daddy joined up with us once her activity was over.

When Curtis finally gets the courage to venture over to it, he just LOVES playing with “the shooter.” (And he hogs it for the rest of the time we are at the park.)

He’d love to squirt me with it, but the shooter only works when it’s facing toward the splash pad (my camera and I are very thankful for this design).And after lots of fun getting wet, it’s time to enjoy the swings some more. I’m so glad we live close to such a nice park!

 

And just for fun, here’s a video of one of Curtis’s favorite things to do lately: build towers for me out of Legos. It’s how he shows his affection.

Announcing . . .

It’s Still January

I know I didn’t get this posted at the very beginning of the year, but I really wanted to put something together to remember our 2013 year. So I made this (long) video, and amazingly enough, it still uploaded. So I’m happy to share it with you.

This is my video to remember 2013. It’s long, so give yourself a cookie if you make it through the whole thing.

 

So far, 2014 has not been too kind to us. Our whole family has been sick for the past 2 weeks, and the weather is so frigid, we can’t even stand the cold while we get into the car. I have been rather homesick to go along with the actual sickness. But enough of my whining. I guess if we start out the year on a sour note, it can only get better from here, right?

My Little Helper

 

“We believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.”

-Elder Dallin H. Oaks

This was my absolute favorite hot chocolate mug. It was handmade by my father-in-law, a one-of-a-kind. He threw the pottery himself and created the glaze (It was one he was experimenting with and wasn’t sure he liked, but I loved it). We have several mugs made by Grant’s dad in our house, but this was the only green one. It was MINE. Whenever I caught Grant using it, I would glare at him.

My favorite mug met its demise this afternoon while Curtis was helping me unload the dishwasher. He loves to help unload the dishwasher. He’s a real go-getter. He loves to feel helpful. He jumps any time there is a chance for him to help his Mommy or Daddy. I normally try not to let him help me with the top rack because he can barely reach it (I say “try” because he insists anyway, and I just rush through it, giving him little chance to help). He tends to pull down on the rack, and I’m always afraid he’ll break the dishwasher. But today I didn’t care. The girls were upstairs, leaving us alone, and I was enjoying some time with my son.

He’s been helping me unload the dishwasher for over half a year (a long time in his little lifespan). We have a pretty good rhythm for working together. He puts away anything he can reach and hands me things that go in the cupboards above. I had just finished placing something in the cupboard when I turned around and saw him pulling out my mug. He didn’t have a firm grasp on it, and I shrieked, “Noooo!” as it tumbled out of his hand. I stood there for a moment with slumped shoulders, looking sadly at the pieces of the handle on the floor. But then I looked up and saw my little boy, frozen in the spot where he stood when he dropped it.

As I took the few steps to cross the kitchen to him, I searched for words that might comfort him. By the time I reached him, it was too late. He was crying before I could wrap my arms around him. As I held him gently, he sobbed and cried out, “So-yay dop cup! So-yay dop cup!” which, in his little words means, “sorry drop cup.” My heart was so full and so broken at the same time. It was full of love for this sweet boy who felt so sorry for dropping my cup when I hadn’t even scolded him, and it was breaking for how much it hurt him to have disappointed me. I told him it was okay. I told him he was worth so much more to me than that cup, even my favorite cup. And I wished so hard he could understand what I was trying to say to him.

He cried in my arms for a while more until I shifted and pushed the dishwasher door shut to give us some more room. That reminded him of our task, and he was eager to finish. We finished together, with him handing me things more carefully than ever and with plenty of smiles. And I marveled at my son. I felt so strongly at that moment the love that I have for him, and I knew what my real treasures are on this earth. I feel blessed to have moments like these (even when they cost me my favorite irreplaceable mug) because I am reminded of what is most important in my life. My children are my most precious possessions, and I pray always that I can handle them with the proper care they need.

And he still drops things sometimes . . .

but he’s worth so much more than anything he might drop.

My Cup Runneth Over

This month, I have been trying to notice my blessings, big and small. I have lots of friends on Facebook who post every day something that makes them feel thankful. In the past, I found it a bit . . . forced—and too public for my taste. But this year, I decided to join in, knowing that focusing on the positive could only help my situation. I haven’t posted something every day because I can’t commit (ha ha), and sometimes I think of something for which I am grateful that I just don’t feel like sharing. But today, I had more on my mind than I could possibly share on Facebook.

As I sat at lunch with Phaedra and Curtis this afternoon, my heart was full. I looked from one child to the other, noticing their beautiful eyes and faces, and feeling so in love with them I could scarcely contain myself. They happily munched on mac & cheese and begged sunflower seeds and croutons off me from my salad. At that moment, I felt so full of the light of Christ. I don’t know any other way to explain it. I love those moments. I am so grateful for those moments.

Those are the moments when I don’t think about the boxes I still have to unpack, the unruly pile of shoes by our back door that are begging me to find a place to put them, the pile of dishes in the kitchen, or even the miles upon miles upon miles between us and the rest of our family. All I can think about is how blessed I am to be right there in that moment. I’m amazed by my children—how they grow and learn and love, and I am honored to be able to witness it and be a part of it. I feel the love of a hardworking husband who comes home after work and helps with dinner, pays attention to his family, and helps put kids to bed. He is concerned for our welfare, and he leads this family righteously.

For most of the day since that moment, I have been mindful of other blessings throughout the day and in my life in general.

I am grateful for my kids and how they remind me to stop and enjoy things like piles of leaves in the yard. I love how they beg me when we get home from school to spend some time raking leaves. I love how Curtis thinks he’s so important and helpful when he comes along and puts his rake in the center of our pile and pulls the leaves in the opposite direction. He hasn’t quite figured out how to get the leaves to go where we are trying to take them, but he really wants to work.

I’m so in love with those faces!

I’ve felt thankful on many occasions that our new ward is so welcoming and friendly. I’m so glad the sisters are so kind.

I’m glad we’ve been here for a month, and it has gone by quickly.

I’m glad we were able to find a place that has a good school for Eleanor.

I’m am so grateful that the snow from Monday has melted! Watching that snow fall down and start sticking on the ground made me the worst kind of homesick I’ve been since we got here. It’s going to take me time and lots more warm clothing before I will be able to embrace winters here. I think I’m going to have to buy lots of thermals to wear under my clothes. And warm hats!

I’m grateful for the love of my family and for the connections I’m still able to have with them and my faraway friends.

But mostly, I’m grateful for moments like the one I had at lunch when I can stop and realize the great bounty that I have.